Brother Bears.

Today is National Sibling Day. It's not on my calendar but everyone on Facebook says it is, so it must be so. I'm OK with that. Any excuse to reminisce on my brothers is a good enough excuse for me.

Stephen (not Steven... pronounced Stefan, thank you much), Jon, and I have always been best friends. Please don't get me wrong, we have also been worst enemies. Each other's nightmares. Boxing opponents. Each other's science experiments. Cohorts in crime. Drinking buddies. Voices of reason. Voices of un-reason. We have been raised by each other. We have kept secrets for and from each other. But most of all, we have loved each other.

Stephen 

Stephen's first day of 1st Grade in AUS

We have always been each other's rock. When I would cry, he would come running. Always. Without fail. As most siblings do, we went through a few tumultuous years. Oh, the epic battles. I seem to remember knife fights (ahem... mostly from me), cop threats, being thrown off the boat while Dad was diving, purple-nurples and drawn on mustaches. All violence aside, Stephen is the most gentle human being you will ever meet. He is 6'10 and I couldn't even begin to guess how much he weighs. But the first time I saw him hold his tiny daughter in his arms, I remembered the feeling I used to get when he would wrap his 6 year old arms around me and say,

Stephen and his wife.. He's so sweet. 

"Oh.. Arielle. Don't cry. Don't cry, Arielle. Don't cry." He is sensitive and strong. He can't spell very well, but he can blow your mind with the amount of knowledge he holds in his brain. Ask him anything about the ocean, and I guarantee he knows at least a little bit about it. He's not a small man, but he is graceful underwater. When he was 13 he could free dive 40+ feet with a pole spear, stone a fish dead, bag it and swim to the surface with nothing but a mask and still have breath to spare.

He is turning 27 this month. He will also celebrate his one year anniversary to the most perfect woman and his son's 6th birthday. His son is the spitting image of him. They even have the exact same paddle feet. I love you, Stephen. Today and every day.

One of my favorite pictures from when the kids were little(r).

Jonathan

Teenage Jon and his best friend Ron

When Jonathan was born, he was our most precious. Stephen and I played on this pirate ship play ground while Mom was in labor and I remember we stopped for a second and both of us realized that this was it.. after today, there would always be another one. It would never just be the two of us ever again. I guess we were kind of always waiting for him. He was the finishing piece. He wasn't a cute baby at first, but he was our baby. And we loved him profusely.  He did, however, turn into a cute baby very quickly. :) Jon was weird. Always. He would eat snails and pull the wings off cockroaches (because where I come from, they fly).  When he was in 1st grade and Hurricane Georges came through, he found batteries, wires, and a playing card and made a fan because we had no electricity and it was hot. He played trumpet in band, wore glasses and has always been the funniest person I know. Seriously. No one stands a chance when he is around. He is also smart. So smart that when he was younger the real world made too much sense to him so he immersed himself in video games and didn't really apply himself at much else. We didn't fight as violently because he was always instigating fights between Stephen and me. Although, I must admit.. I owe him many quarters for all the chores I made him do and all the candy I stole from him. He is also sensitive and strong. He is the sweetest boy you will ever meet and does not hesitate to tell people that his sister is the most beautiful girl in the world... which I don't hate. ;) We went through a phase where we looked very similar when I was about 17 and he was 14.

At that point, he was also the same height as me (6'0). He has since surpassed me in height. I am now the little one and they do not hesitate to tell me so. He has been through many phases since this point.. hippie phase, crazy hair colors, shaved head, mustache, beard.. Mostly his hair changes and then he looks like a totally different person. But he's still the same. He's kind and gentle and funny. He's 21 now and growing into a great man. And I love every little bit of him. We helped to raise my niece and nephew when we were both very young and I know that we will forever cherish those moments. I can't wait to see what's in store for him. I have loved him every day of his life.

You two boys.. err, men (weird)... make up a large part of who I am. You are, quite literally, flowing through my veins and pumping my heart. I can't imagine life without you and I hope I never have to. You boys are my heart and my soul. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about you and miss you both dearly. So here is to you, Jonathan Jacob and Stephen James! 

May your days be many and your troubles be few. May all God's blessings descend upon you. May peace be within you may your heart be strong. May you find what you're seeking wherever you roam. ~ Irish Blessing

Love Always,

Arielle Nicole